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RESEARCH TEACHING CREATIVIT Y OUTREACH OVATIONS C OL FA | T H E C O L L E G E O F L I B E R A L A N D F I N E A RTS VO L 4 2 0 0 9 VOICES UNHEARD Shedding light on the United Farm Workers movement in Texas UTSA® CONTENTS CONNECTIONS 2 CONNECTIONS 4 CELEBRATING TEACHING If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. 6 PRACTICAL PR I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music … I get most joy in life out of music.1 8 COOL IT —Albert Einstein 11 WITNESS TO THE FAll 14 VOICES UNHEARD 18 MUSIC ON THE MOVE 20 AlUMNI PROFILE: BRENDA DAVIDSON-SHADDOX 22 AwARDS AND ACCOLADES 24 YOUR GIFTS MAKE A DIffERENCE ne of the great pleasures of involvement in the liberal Longtime COLFA supporter and teacher Dr. Jerald OVATIONS and fine arts is watching how students awaken to the Winakur has garnered nationwide praise for his book possibilities that lie across the traditional boundaries Memory Lessons for its sensitive and personal exploration Oof knowledge. “Interdisciplinary learning” is one of the buzz- of aging and for the superb quality of this geriatrician’s prose. words of modern higher education, but it means more than Businesswoman and English alumna Brenda Davidson- taking some team-taught courses. Becoming a learned person, Shaddox is a thriving photojournalist whose program of today more than ever, means moving comfortably among dif- exploration in Myanmar is at once ecological, artistic and ferent intellectual domains and yielding at least sometimes to anthropological. raw curiosity and the desire for self-expression. Mary Pat Stumberg understands the enriching power of Our college is especially fertile for this kind of discovery music. She has made an unusual, visionary scholarship gift because it brings the arts, humanities and social sciences close specifically to support students from the science and technol- Memory Lessons 11 UFW movement in Texas 14 Hidden world of Myanmar 20 together, and because it involves virtually all UTSA students ogy majors who are also studying music. Another wonder- in these subjects through the core curriculum. And so, although ful gift comes from Drs. Rajam and Somayagi Ramamurthy. we are duly proud that COLFA is the largest UTSA college, and These distinguished physicians are well-known for their advo- more UTSA students are majoring in the liberal and fine arts cacy of classical Indian dance. Their new endowment in the than other disciplines, we also cherish our role in helping all Department of Music will support visiting artists and scholars UTSA students prepare broadly. in Indian dance, music and culture and will be foundational Among the most ardent and generous supporters of the col- to our new dance program. lege are several who have been highly successful in careers in Thanks to such imaginative benefactors, and through the business, law, medicine and technology. Some have spoken hard work of a talented and devoted COLFA faculty, our world wistfully about not having followed their passion for music, will be populated with more physicists who see their lives in painting, acting or archaeology. Most, however, have preserved terms of music; attorneys with the sensibilities of the historian such interests as a dimension of their lives, pursuing creative or and sociologist; teachers, pharmacists and accountants whose scholarly work themselves (and often at distinguished levels) or lives exude art and poetry. nurturing it in others. These individuals are great exemplars for our current students. DEAN Cover : Mural painted by Artemio Guerra Garza at the Rebecca Flores at the 1979 UFW UFW hall, San Juan, Texas. 1”What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester Viereck,” for the October 26, 1929, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Convention in Fresno, Calif. Story on page 14. Photo by Josue Esparza. 2 3 CELEBRATING Students and peers This year’s COLFA awardees were Ben campuswide comes a responsibility for will pick up on that and get excited about praise COLFA faculty Olguin in the Department of English and the faculty to keep improving their skills. it. Use humor and meet them where they Deborah Wagner in the Department One way they do that is through the are. There’s always another perspective.” BY LISA CHANTOS of Anthropology. Olguin, an associate UTSA Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). As the dean of COLFA, Gelo has active- professor who has taught more than 50 Directed by Barbara Millis, an award- ly been promoting those very same qual- TEACHING graduate and undergraduate courses, winning teacher and researcher, the TLC ities in his faculty. Among the deans, no “I wish I could take him for These are just two comments from the A lecturer in the Department of Mod- was recognized as being a tough yet promotes better teaching and helps good one has been more active in promoting every class, in every subject. stream of reviews left for Joe Rogers, ern Languages and Literatures, Cano thorough professor by his students. One teaching be recognized and rewarded. the TLC and its mission of teaching excel- Be prepared to think.” retired UTSA professor, on RateMyProfes- was nominated by student Jim Geiger. student wrote, “What I really liked is Since Millis arrived at UTSA last lence than Gelo, Millis says. “I learn more in his classes sors.com. After three years of teaching at According to Geiger, Cano positively that the instructor got us to open our August, the TLC has hosted 61 workshops “It shows not only that they care, but than I do in all my UTSA, Rogers was not only the sole Texas reinforces student learning, which builds minds and to think.” and brownbag sessions on how to teach that they’re willing to invest the time,” classes put together.” professor to make the Top 10, but he was confidence in students regarding their Wagner, an alumna and instructor, effectively. Of the 431 people who attend- she says. “Change takes time and it takes also ranked sixth out of over 1 million ability to learn. was praised for challenging students to ed the sessions, 125 were from COLFA. thought.” O professors on the Web site, which scores “Dr. Cano encourages students critically evaluate ideas and arguments “They can be proud of that,” Mil- them on a scale of 1 to 5 in categories to take bold steps across a linguis- by encouraging active participation in lis says. “You can’t learn until you pay such as clarity, helpfulness and easiness. tic bridge into the Spanish-speaking the classroom. attention. You have to focus your atten- THE TEACHING AND From the boundless Web to the more world,” he says. “She has proven to be one of the tion. The COLFA folks are there in the LEARNING CENTER intimate confines of the individual col- Oleszkiewicz-Peralba teaches courses most inspiring and influential individ- workshops paying attention, and I think AT A GLANCE lege, professors in the College of Liberal in Latin American culture and women uals I have encountered in an academic there’s a direct connection.” Major initiatives undertaken by and Fine Arts are being recognized for writers in the Department of Modern setting,” wrote one student. It’s critical that universities focus on the TLC this last year include: demonstrating excellence in teaching. Languages and Literatures. Her nomina- And recently, Richard Gambitta, asso- the teaching that occurs in their class- • 61 workshops and brown bag sessions for graduate students and faculty to promote Some recognition comes from students, tor, Alejandra Osejo, says Oleszkiewicz- ciate professor of political science and rooms, Millis says. Too often, there’s so teaching effectiveness. The TLC brought in others from peers. Peralba fosters critical thinking in and director of the UTSA Institute for Law much emphasis placed on research that nationally recognized outside presenters to “Whatever else we do in the College of out of the classroom. and Public Affairs, was one of 73 faculty classroom learning gets brushed aside. run the sessions. Liberal and Fine Arts, teaching is our main “Dr. Peralba is an encyclopedia of members given Outstanding Teaching But a good teacher can make an enor- • workshops for nine Master Teaching Fellows (now called University Teaching Fellows) job,” says Dean Daniel J. Gelo. “We recruit Latin art, culture and literature, and Awards from the University of Texas Sys- mous difference, she says. focused on professional development. The and retain strong teachers and are fortu- this makes her a perfect professor for tem Board of Regents. The award, given “A good teacher can help people not workshop topics included microteaching, nate to have many truly excellent ones this year’s award,” Osejo says. in recognition of high quality undergrad- only learn important things—things conducting effective classroom observations, who have been recognized with awards.” Several COLFA faculty have also uate teaching, also came with $30,000. meaning knowledge and skills and abili- conducting focus groups, cooperative learn- ing and classroom assessment techniques. Students aren’t just ranking their earned the President’s Distinguished ties—but they can also impact affective • intense training for all new graduate teach- favorite professors online. In 2009, Achievement Award for Teaching Excel- Teaching excellence factors like feelings, emotions and eth- ing assistants. Provided in-depth microteach- nominations were sent in by students lence. These awards represent peer rec- COLFA faculty members are noted for ics,” she says. ing using teaching fellows that followed a from every college for the Distinguished ognition for excellence in the classroom, excellence in teaching partly because “A teacher who inspires can lead stu- teaching assistant panel.

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